Internal combustion engines convert chemical energy from a fuel into mechanical energy. The fuel may be petroleum-based (gasoline or diesel), natural gas, a combination thereof, or the like. Some internal combustion engines, such as gasoline engines, inject an air-fuel mixture into one or more cylinders for ignition by a spark from a spark plug or the like. Other internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines, compress air in the cylinder and then inject fuel into the cylinder for the compressed air to ignite. A diesel engine may use a hydraulically activated electronically controlled unit injection (HEUI) system or the like to control the fuel injection into the cylinders. The ignited fuel generates rapidly expanding gases that actuate a piston in the cylinder. Each piston usually is connected to a crankshaft or similar device for converting the reciprocating motion of the piston into rotational motion. The rotational motion from the crankshaft may be used to propel a vehicle, operate a pump or an electrical generator, or perform other work. The vehicle may be a truck, an automobile, a boat, or the like. The vehicle may be a truck, an automobile, a boat, or the like.
Many internal combustion engines use exhaust gases to reduce the production of nitrogen oxides (NOx) during the combustion process in the cylinders. These internal combustion engines typically mix a portion of the exhaust gases with the intake air for combustion in the cylinders. The exhaust gases usually lower the combustion temperature of the fuel below the temperature where nitrogen combines with oxygen to form NOx.
There are various approaches for mixing the exhaust gases with the intake air in an internal combustion engine. Some internal combustion engines control the opening and closing of exhaust and intake valves in a cylinder. The opening and closing of the valves may trap and push some exhaust gases from the cylinder into the intake manifold for mixing with the intake air. Other internal combustion engines use an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system to divert a portion of the exhaust gases exiting the cylinders for mixing with the intake air to the cylinders.
While the exhaust gases and intake air are combined, there may be an uneven dispersion of the exhaust gases in the intake air. The uneven dispersion may include pockets, zones, regions, or strata of higher or lower concentrations of exhaust gases than the selected concentration of exhaust gases in the intake air. The dispersion may be more uneven when the exhaust gases enter on one side of the intake air stream. The selected concentration of exhaust gases in the intake air may be reduced to avoid or reduce the effects of the uneven dispersion on engine operation. Internal combustion engines may produce more NOx at the lower selected concentrations of exhaust gases in the intake air.
Accordingly, there is a need for an exhaust gas recirculation system which better mixes the exhaust gases with the inlet air while also reducing the pressure drop as the air enters the intake manifold.